Alba, Mascherano, Piqué, Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are among the 40 candidates
Barça, along with Madrid and Chelsea, is the most represented club
Six FC Barcelona players are in contention for places in the uefa.com Team of the Year. Defenders Alba, Mascherano and Piqué, midfielders Xavi and Iniesta and striker Leo Messi are the FCB players in the shortlist of 40 to be selected for the best team of 2012. One year ago, Alves, Piqué, Xavi, Iniesta and Messi were all in the uefa.com all star XI.
Most represented club
FC Barcelona, has the most candidates, six, along with European champions Chelsea and Liga champions Real Madrid. Barça are particularly prominent in the defensive categories, with three players (Alba, Mascherano and Piqué) nominated.
The 40 finalists, by positions
The following are the 40 candidates named by uefa.com, ordered by positions and alphabetically:
Goalkeepers: Buffon, Casillas, Cech and Neuer
Defenders: Barzagli, Cole, Hummels, Ivanovic, Jordi Alba, Kompany, Lahm, Mascherano, Pepe, Piqué, Sergio Ramos and Thiago Silva
Midfielders: Alonso, Blaszczykowski, Hazard, Iniesta, Juan Mata, Marchisio, Özil, Pirlo, Reus, Silva, Touré and Xavi
Forwards: Agüero, Burak Yilmaz, Cavani, Drogba, Falcao, Mario Gómez, Huntelaar, Ibrahimovic, Lewandowski, Messi, Ronaldo and Van Persie